The present invention relates to a composite hockey stick blade and a related method of manufacture.
There are a variety of commercially available hockey blade constructions. The internal configuration of these hockey blades may be altered depending on the characteristics desired by a player, including the feel, curve, flex and strength. In some cases, the characteristics desired by a player depend on the position of the player. For example, a defensive player may desire a certain blade configuration, while an offensive player may desire a different blade configuration. In some configurations, adjusting the blade characteristics may require a complete redesign of numerous elements of the blade. This results in added expense for stick manufacturers to provide different models of blades with different characteristics.
Some modern hockey manufacturers have moved from more traditional wood blades to a blade made partially of foam. Foam constructions provide the blade with a low-weight construction. However, the foam constructions can be less durable, weak and can provide insufficient strength for achieving high velocities when striking a puck. Current constructions to strengthen the foam may add significant thickness to the blade, which may make the blade clumsy for the fine movements and puck handling required of players. Further, some foam configurations include separate pieces of foam in the blade. These configurations can be undesirable due to added processing, material handling, and assembly costs in creating and working with the separate foam pieces.